Directories and Phone Books

Directories, such as Trade Directories and Post Office Directories for Glasgow, are an easy to use and fascinating resource for family historians

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​What do I need to know before I start?

Try to find out:

name of person

what trade or profession they were engaged in

​when they were working in Glasgow​

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​What records can I find in the Mitchell: Special Collections

Directories for Glasgow

1783-1978

The directories contain an alphabetical list of Glasgow’s main inhabitants, a street directory and a trades directory, listing people by their address and profession or trade. The first directory was published in 1783 by John Tait and included other nearby towns, then by Nathaniel Jones , and thereafter by Walter McFeat as the Glasgow Directory.

In 1828 the directories became known as the Post Office Annual Glasgow Directory. There is a directory for each year from 1800 with the exceptions of 1802, 1808 and 1816.

As the city and businesses grew, the later directories naturally contain more information than the earliest directories, with content such as public institutions and memberships, local travel times and methods, mail deliveries and costs, educational, law or medical directories and suburban directories.

​Trade Directories for Glasgow

Kelly’s Directory Glasgow

1921- 1974 for most years

Glasgow Trades Directory

1906-1928 for most years

Glasgow and Lanark Trades Directory

1902-1967 intermittent coverage

Glasgow and West of Scotland Trades Directory

​1902-1966 intermittent coverage

Trades Directories list business types, names, addresses and often the names of individuals associated with the business listings. There are many trades directories for Scotland also available.

Phone Books for Glasgow

1889 to date. Coverage for most years for each decade

Yellow Pages for Glasgow

​1929 to date. Coverage for most years for each decade

The Phone Books and Yellow Pages for Glasgow list the names, addresses and phone numbers of residential and business customers respectively.